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GSI Outdoors Blog

5 Camp Breakfasts That Will Make You Actually Want to Leave Your Sleeping Bag

We know the feeling. You’re awakened at an ungodly hour by a vocally blessed bird that has convinced itself it was a rooster in a past life. Everything around you is covered by a layer of wet, as you’ve yet to master the art of tent condensation prevention...

Mark River Roasted Oats

Breakfasts should be easy. They almost always are, when you’re camping, backpacking, or canoeing and must carry all food in and out. Mark “River” Peoples is Chief Guide at the Quapaw Canoe Company, in Clarksdale, Miss., and has been cooking over cookfires in GSI anodized aluminum dutch ovens...

Backcountry Cocoa 3 Ways

Outdoor activities often center around beverages: we boil coffee by the tent, share beers by the campfire, down water on the summit, swig whiskey on the chairlift. We may outgrow our childhood skis, writing letters to Santa, and our pants after Thanksgiving, but we never outgrow our favorite...

Downeaster Cowboy Coffee

Start your day and indulge at night with a full-immersion “cowboy coffee.” The beautify of this recipe is the ability to stretch the pot of coffee twice as long as most other brew methods. When you have served it all, pour new water on the saturated grounds and keep...

Don't Leave Your Leftovers Behind

The relatives are gone, the card table is back in the closet, and your bags are packed for your #optoutside adventure. Then the age old post-Thanksgiving dilemma hits you: what are you going to do with all that extra food? No matter how big your family is...

Soup Season

It took long enough, but there are suddenly signs of winter here in the PNW. The crunch of leaves underfoot has been replaced with the crunch of ice melt. Flecks of bright orange are barely visible under a fresh dusting of snow. Folks are trading trucker hats for...

Blend Out

If you’ve learned anything from this blog over the last few months, it’s probably that we LOVE partying while we’re out playing in the wild. The easiest way to spice up a leisurely paddle across a lake or loosen up for a competitive game of backwoods bocce ball is to add in an adult beverage. One thing we’ve noticed is that most people stick to basic cans of beer or, once in a while, a mixed cocktail. Those are all fine and dandy for an easy go-to, but if you really want to elevate your wilderness mixology, you need to step it up. Enter the Vortex Blender.

S'more Than A Feeling

Nothing says summer like a campfire in the woods. The crackle of wood, the wafts of smoke and, of course, the sweet, sweet taste of s’mores hitting your lips. Generations of kids and adults alike have been participating in the time-honored tradition of s’mores around the campfire, but few have ventured beyond the standard graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow, a.k.a. The 1.0.

Campground Avocado Caprese Salad

Ski-what-ing?

Just what in the world is skijoring? We were asking ourselves the same question a few weeks ago when we saw an advertisement for the Skijoring World Invitational. According to Siri, skijoring is a winter sport originating in Norway where a person on skis is pulled by a horse, dog or a motor vehicle. This may sounds like a recipe for disaster but, if you add in some sunshine, a few friends and a tasty cocktail, this sounds like a nice little Saturday.

Backcountry Hot Cocoa Bar

When the mercury drops, our attention often turns to activities we can do outside. We hike, ski, snowshoe, maybe build a snowman; but cooler temperatures can sometimes make us forget about "hang out" time. We've got a simple solution.

Thanksgiving Part 3

Leftovers are one of the best parts of Thanksgiving. Some people like to reheat and repeat the entire Thanksgiving experience, but after spending an entire day off inside, we’re more inclined to get outside and go for a hike. In order to have our cake (or turkey) and eat it too, we’ve developed a packable leftover option.

Thanksgiving Part 2

It’s a bummer when someone has to spend the whole day in the kitchen. A few years ago, some friends of ours suggested a potluck Thanksgiving. It turned out AWESOME: delicious food and time where EVERYONE could hang out. So, what are we bringing? Bourbon Bacon Apple Pie! We got this recipe from a friend of ours who was raised in the South, so it’s the real deal, y’all. We adapted the recipe a bit to make it work perfectly in the dutch oven. Bourbon adds a Southern flare and the dutch oven adds a smoky complement to the bacon, reminding us to be thankful for the outdoors even on an “inside holiday” like turkey day.

Thanksgiving Part 1

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Next week, many of us will sit down to tables piled high with delicious treats and encircled by the people who mean the most to us. Here are some of our favorite tips to make Thanksgiving enjoyable, memorable, and bring a bit of outdoor flare to this special time.